Working in a 17th Century Hospital — Jean Carrier

B. before 24 Jan 1638 in St-Georges, Île d'Oléron, Saintonge, France¹
M. 4 Nov 1670 in Notre-Dame de Quebec, Quebec City, New France²
Wife: Barbe Hallé
D. after 20 Apr 1711 in Lauzon, New France³

In the early days of New France, Jean Carrier worked for the nuns who cared for the sick. And because of that, it's how he likely met his future wife.

Jean was born in January 1638 in in St-Georges, Île d'Oléron, Saintonge, France to Jean Carrier and Jeanne Dodier.¹ When he came of age, he seems to have migrated alone to New France, probably arriving sometime in the 1660s. The 1666 census showed that Jean worked in the Hôtel-Dieu (a hospital) in Quebec City;⁴ he wasn’t described as an indentured servant (although he may have started out there as one). The Hôtel-Dieu was run by nuns who looked after the people needing long-term medical care, as well as taking in orphans and the poor. Jean was likely a laborer who did physical work in the facility.

Along with working in a hospital, Jean seems to have become one of the men who started populating the south shore of the St. Lawrence. Lauzon was a peninsula that jutted out towards Quebec City, and it was a place that had available land for those willing to live in what was then a rugged place. A notarial record dated June 22, 1667 listed several inhabitants, and among them was Jean.⁵

Jean on list of Lauzon inhabitants. (Source: BAnQ)

That same year, a young woman named Barbe Hallé entered Hôtel-Dieu. She was said to be “possessed by demons,”⁶ or more likely, she was mentally or emotionally ill. It’s not known if Jean had contact with Barbe while she was being treated, but after she got better, she became a worker in the hospital for a couple of years, which may have been how she became acquainted with him. On July 27, 1670, Jean traveled to the home of Barbe’s parents in Lauzon to arrange for their marriage. He signed a contract that day,⁶ but the actual wedding took place over 3 months later at Notre-Dame in Quebec City.² Barbe was 25-years-old,⁷ which was older than most brides in New France during the 17th century.

After the wedding, Jean settled down with his new bride in Lauzon. Over the next 12 years, they had four children, a small family compared to others in New France. Barbe died in 1696;⁷ it’s not known when Jean died, but it was after the baptism of one of his grandchildren on April 20, 1711.³

The legacy of Jean Carrier is that he produced a large amount of descendants who mostly stayed in Pointe-de-Lévy, Lauzon. The grandson whose baptism he attended, Jean-Baptiste Carrier (1711-1783), went on to play a part in the defense against the British invasion of 1759; he transmitted alarm signals by fires relayed from Rimouski, and helped coordinate the retreat of French settlers to safer ground.⁸ On the 350th anniversary of Jean Carrier’s arrival in Lauzon, a great family reunion took place for three days in August of 2016.⁹ The highlight of the event was the dedication of a monument honoring both Jean and Barbe. The inscription reads: 

Hommage à nos ancêtres
Jean Carrier
(1638-1711)
et
Barbe Hallé
(1645-1696)
tous deux nés en France.
Jean reçut en 1666 cette terre en concession.
En 1670 ils s'unirent pour fonder notre grande famille.

English translation:

Homage to our ancestors
Jean Carrier
(1638-1711)
And
Barbe Hallé
(1645-1696)
both born in France.
In 1666, Jean received this land in concession.
In 1670 they united to found our big family.

Children:
1. Ignace Carrier — B. 5 Sep 1671, Quebec City, New France;¹⁰ D. 3 May 1765, Pointe-de-Lévy, Lauzon, Quebec;¹¹ M. (1) Perinne Grenet (1672-1709), 16 Jun 1693, Pointe-de-Lévy, Lauzon, New France;¹² (2) Catherine-Rosalie Duquet (1688-1753), 2 Jun 1710, Pointe-de-Lévy, Lauzon, New France¹³

2. Marie-Anne Carrier — B. 16 Jan 1674, Quebec City, New France;¹⁴ M. (1) Pierre Turgeon (~1669-1699), 16 Nov 1695, Pointe-de-Lévy, Lauzon, New France;¹⁵ (2) Louis-Théantre Lemieux (1672-1749), 4 May 1700, Pointe-de-Lévy, Lauzon, New France¹⁶

3. Charles Carrier — B. 23 Dec 1678, Pointe-de-Lévy, Lauzon, New France;¹⁷ D. 26 Sep 1740, Pointe-de-Lévy, Lauzon, New France;¹⁸ M. Marie Gesseron (1682-1756), 15 Jun 1699, Pointe-de-Lévy, Lauzon, New France¹⁹

4. Jean Carrier — B. 10 Dec 1682, Pointe-de-Lévy, Lauzon, New France;²⁰ D. 14 Dec 1749, Pointe-de-Lévy, Lauzon, New France;²¹ M. Jeanne Samson (1681-1758), 15 Apr 1705, New France²²

Sources:
1    Généalogie du Québec et d’ Amérique française listing of Jean Carrier 
2    Marriage record of Jean Carrier and Barbe Hallé, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3    Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Carrier, Q.C.P.R.
4    Recensement de 1666 en Nouvelle-France
5    Court record dated 22 Jun 1667, BAnQ
6    Our French-Canadian Ancestors, V. 23, pp. 87-93, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990
7    Burial record of Barbe Hallé, Q.C.P.R.
8    Le Journal de Lévis, April 6, 2016
9    Le Journal de Lévis, September 21, 2016
10  Baptismal record of Ignace Carrier, Q.C.P.R.
11  Burial record of Ignace Carrier, Q.C.P.R.
12  Marriage record of Ignace Carrier and Perinne Grenet, Q.C.P.R.
13  Marriage record of Ignace Carrier and Catherine-Rosalie Duquet, Q.C.P.R.
14  Baptismal record of Marie-Anne Carrier, Q.C.P.R.
15  Marriage record of Pierre Turgeon and Marie-Anne Carrier, Q.C.P.R.
16  Marriage record of Louis-Théantre Lemieux and Marie-Anne Carrier, Q.C.P.R.
17  Baptismal record of Charles Carrier, Q.C.P.R.
18  Burial record of Charles Carrier, Q.C.P.R.
19  Marriage record of Charles Carrier and Marie Gesseron, Q.C.P.R.
20  Baptismal record of Jean Carrier (younger), Q.C.P.R.
21  Burial record of Jean Carrier (younger), Q.C.P.R.
22  Marriage record of Jean Carrier and Jeanne Samson, Q.C.P.R.